Gaile Owens is a battered woman on death row and she needs our support. The Tennessee Supreme Court has set an execution date for Gaile Owens of September 28, 2010. TN Governor, Phil Bredesen, is now the only person who can decide to commute Gaile’s sentence of the death penalty to life in prison. It is now more important than ever to show your support for Gaile.

To find out more about this case and see the ways you can show your support, check out these sites:

-Sign the petition by visiting www.friendsofgaile.com

-Become a fan of the Friends of Gaile Facebook‘page

-Write, email or call Gov. Bredesen at:

Governor’s Office
Tennessee State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243-0001

Phone: 615.741.2001
Fax: 615.532.9711
Email: Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov

-Write editors at newspapers in major Tennessee cities:

The Tennessean (Nashville): Submit letters to letters@tennessean.com and include your name, city and ZIP code. Letters should not exceed 200 words.

The City Paper (Nashville): Submit letters to editor@nashvillecitypaper.com and include your name, city and ZIP code.

The Commercial Appeal (Memphis): Submit letters HERE.

The Knoxville News Sentinel: Submit letters to letters@knoxnews.com. Letters must not exceed 300 words, and should include your name, address and phone number.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press: Submit letters to letters@timesfreepress.com. Keep letters to 200 words and include your name, address and telephone number.

A sincere thank you from Nanci for your support of a cause very dear to her heart.

FOR THE SAKE OF THE SONG: THE STORY OF ANDERSON FAIR is a documentary about a little place in Texas where big things happen… starring Nanci Griffith, Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Lyle Lovett, Townes Van Zandt, Lucinda Williams and many others.

Nanci is thrilled to be part of this film now making the rounds on the 2010 festival circuit. Check it out, screening dates below.

March 17– SXSW (Austin) Paramount Theater
March 19– SXSW Alamo Ritz # 2
April 9 -18– (April 10th @ 9:00 PM) Houston Film Festival WORLDFEST
April 21– Nashville Film Festival (prime time screening)
April 22– Nashville Film Festival (matinee)

For more info and updates on when its coming to your town, check out andersonfairthemovie.com

Gig review: Nanci Griffith, Queens Hall– SIMPLICITY is a much underrated quality in music but it’s what Nanci Griffith specialises in. Her simple tales of simple people, simply sung, have a power to lift the audience and a warmth and intelligence that many over-produced pop warblers can only dream of having and members of last night’s packed crowd at the Queens Hall were more than happy to let her transport them to her uncomplicated world… read entire story HERE.

–INSPIRATION doesn’t run on tap. Just ask Nanci Griffith, the Grammy Award-winning Texan songwriter, who went through something of a writerly slump before returning last year with her 19th album, The Loving Kind… read entire story HERE.

NU Country Australia– When Nanci Griffith read the New York Times obituary of a black woman jailed for an inter-racial marriage she spent an afternoon in tears. But Griffith soon channelled her torrential tears into lachrymose lava in a powerful song about the couple’s battle for their love to be legalised… read entire story HERE.

How Rounder Records went from minor to major
Started by three students with $125, the record label is still quirkily independent, despite being home to huge talent… read entire story HERE.

Performances from Nanci Griffith, Dick Gaughan and The Transatlantic Sessions were among the many highlights of the 11th annual BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, hosted by Mike Harding… read entire story HERE.

One of the top events on Belfast’s musical calendar takes place next month as the Guinness Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival comes to town… read entire story HERE.

Review: Nanci Griffith, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London–More twang for your buck… read entire story HERE.

Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan – two artists who have influenced generations of musicians and music fans alike – will be presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards at BBC Radio 2’s Folk Awards on Monday 1st February 2010.

Both Griffith and Gaughan will also perform at the Awards ceremony which takes place in London and celebrates the vibrant folk scene.

Grammy award-winning Texan singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith has built a worldwide reputation for her sensitive compositions since her debut album in 1978: Dick Gaughan’s 1981 album A Handful of Earth was voted Album of the Decade by fRoots magazine and his career includes spells with acclaimed groups Boys of the Lough and Five Hand Reel. His songs have been interpreted by artists spanning the folk music genre, including Billy Bragg, Christy Moore, Mary Black, Roy Bailey and Capercaillie.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards also sees a special honour – the Good Tradition Award – for Mike Alexander and Douglas Eadie, producers of the legendary BBC TV Transatlantic Sessions, which brought together the finest folk and traditional musicians from Scotland, Ireland and North America for a series of unique performances broadcast across the world.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards, now in their 11th year, will be hosted by the network’s weekly folk show presenter Mike Harding from The Brewery, in London EC1. Highlights will be broadcast on Radio 2 on Wednesday 3rd February from 7.00pm. Extensive online features and a photo gallery will be available at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

As well as performances from Nanci Griffith and Dick Gaughan, The Bad Shepherds, The Transatlantic Sessions, Lau, Martin Simpson and Show of Hands play live. Guest presenters include musician Richard Hawley, poet Ian McMillan and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson.

This year singer-songwriter Martin Simpson has an unprecedented six nominations, following his 2009 album True Stories. He is nominated in the categories Folk Singer of the Year, Musician of the Year, Best Album, Best Traditional Track and twice in the Best Original Song category.

Making her mark again on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards after winning two awards in 2002, Cara Dillon is shortlisted for Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album for Hill of Thieves and Best Traditional Track for Spencer the Rover, a duet with Seth Lakeman.

Last year’s winner of the Horizon Award and Best Traditional Track, Jackie Oates has nominations for Folk Singer of the Year, Best Album for Hyperboreans and Best Traditional Track for her version of The Isle of France.

The Unthanks notch up nominations for Best Group and Best Album, while their much celebrated version of The Testimony of Patience Kershaw wins a Best Original Song nomination for writer Frank Higgins. Show of Hands, winners of Best Live Act in 2004, return with nominations for Best Duo and Best Original Song for Arrogance Ignorance and Greed.

The acclaimed bands Lau and Bellowhead are again both in the running for Best Live Act and Best Group. Bellowhead’s lead singer Jon Boden is also nominated for Folk Singer of the Year. Also short-listed for Best Live Act are two of the year’s festival hits – Ade Edmonson’s folk-punk outfit The Bad Shepherds and folk-reggae favourites Edward II.

Musician of the Year pitches guitarist Martin Simpson against multi-instrumentalist John McCusker, while squeezebox players John Kirkpatrick and Saul Rose receive their first nomination in that category.
Promising duos Hannah James & Sam Sweeney and Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts make the final four in the Horizon Award for folk’s best emerging artist, alongside guitarist Sam Carter and singer Nancy Wallace.

The Radio 2 Folk Awards take place on Monday 1st February 2010. Highlights of the Awards can be heard on Radio 2 on Wednesday 3rd February from 7.00pm. Full information can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/radio2

The 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards nominations are as follows:

FOLK SINGER OF THE YEAR
Cara Dillon
Jackie Oates
Jon Boden
Martin Simpson

BEST DUO
Belshazzar’s Feast
Damien Barber & Mike Wilson
Megson
Show of Hands

BEST GROUP
Bellowhead
Lau
Mawkin:Causley
The Unthanks

BEST ALBUM
Here’s The Tender Coming – The Unthanks
Hill of Thieves – Cara Dillon
Hyperboreans – Jackie Oates
True Stories – Martin Simpson

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Arrogance Ignorance and Greed – Steve Knightley (performed by Show of Hands)
Home Again – Martin Simpson
One Day – Martin Simpson/Martin Taylor (performed by Martin Simpson)
The Testimony of Patience Kershaw – Frank Higgins (performed by The Unthanks)

BEST TRADITIONAL TRACK
Cutty Wren – Mawkin:Causley
Sir Patrick Spens – Martin Simpson
Spencer the Rover – Cara Dillon
The Isle of France – Jackie Oates

HORIZON AWARD
Hannah James & Sam Sweeney
Katriona Gilmore & Jamie Roberts
Nancy Wallace
Sam Carter

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
John Kirkpatrick
John McCusker
Martin Simpson
Saul Rose

BEST LIVE ACT
Bellowhead
Edward II
Lau
The Bad Shepherds

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by Jim Blum

Compiling a Top 10 list of the year’s best songs for Folk Alley is difficult, because the stream offers listeners the chance to wear so many different hats. Overall, the choices were made based on quality of composition, originality, arrangement, performance, use of poetic device and production. But each hour of our stream is built around more than just the typical folksinger. We also include Americana, bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, blues and world music, as well as pure instrumentalists. So, while care was taken to create an all-encompassing list, only so much can fit into a mere 10 songs. With that in mind, songwriters still prevailed — probably because there are so many of them…

2. Album: Loving Kind
Song: Loving Kind

In 1958, Mildred and Richard Loving were married — or at least they tried to apply for a marriage license. The Commonwealth of Virginia shot them down because Richard was white and Mildred was black. A landmark case ensued (Loving vs. Virginia) in 1967, voiding all laws against interracial marriage. Nanci Griffith’s testimony not only raises awareness, but also celebrates one couple’s struggle for everyone. June 12 is now “Loving Day.” How ironic that the couple’s last name says it all.

Read more HERE.

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